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A unique bike ride on a Melbourne toll road to raise money for homeless services has won the top prize at the 2012 Rotary Community Service Awards.

Hanover Welfare Services and toll-road operator ConnectEast have won the award for their partnership to deliver the Hanover ConnectEast Ride for Home on EastLink.

The event gave thousands of cyclists a unique opportunity to ride on a fully closed EastLink, while fundraising for Hanover which supports people experiencing homelessness or housing crisis.

Hanover Chief Executive Tony Keenan and ConnectEast Managing Director Dennis Cliche said the award was recognition of a strong partnership between a leading community agency and the owner and operator of the EastLink tollway.

Keenan said the event played an important role in raising community awareness of the changing face of homelessness in Melbourne.

“With many of the people we see now suburban families living in the south eastern suburbs, homelessness is no longer an inner city issue. The Hanover ConnectEast Ride for Home gives Hanover a unique opportunity for people to understand our work, and fundraise to break the cycle of homelessness," he said.

The Rotary Community Partnership Awards are designed to celebrate the important partnerships developed between community agencies and corporate partners.

The Awards donated $30,000 in cash and over $100,000 in professional pro-bono services to 12 community groups across six categories of Youth, Arts and Recreation, Community and Mental Health, Aged Care, Homelessness and Community Leadership.

Hanover Welfare Services and their corporate partner, ConnectEast received the major $10,000 cash prize.

Other major prize winners included:

The Humour Foundation and Kraft Foods who were awarded $7,500 for the Clown Doctors program.

Whitelion and Toll Group who were awarded $7,500 for their collaborative employment programs for the transition of at-risk youth into the workforce.

The Afghan Australian Development Organisation and the Planet Wheeler Foundation who were awarded $5,000 for their long-term strategic partnership which helps to provide aid and life skills that will help drive the redevelopment of Afghanistan.

Over 40 nominations were received for this year’s event, with category prizes awarded to:

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